Entrepreneur's Live Interviews 🎙️

In this episode, Priya Ranjan Mohanty speaks with Manasa Rajan, Co-founder & CEO of Jupiter Meta - a deep tech startup using zero-knowledge proofs and blockchain to deliver privacy-first consumer intelligence.Manasa shares how 60% of internet traffic today comes from bots, making traditional data collection and ad targeting unreliable. Jupiter Meta's solution uses on-device Aadhaar verification (zkKYC) to prove users are real humans without ever storing their personal data. She walks us through their products - Superch (consumer app), Hercules (AI-powered brand intelligence platform), and Poseidon (deep data query tool) - and their recent MoU with the Karnataka government.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction00:33 - Manasa's Background & Entrepreneurial Journey01:33 - Why Jupiter Meta Was Born03:00 - The Data Quality Problem05:35 - 60% of Internet Traffic is Bots08:01 - How Jupiter Meta Solves This08:16 - Zero Knowledge Proof & On-Device KYC10:55 - The Superch App & User Experience13:55 - How Brands Use the Data (Hercules Platform)17:15 - Poseidon: Deep Research & Consumer Insights19:30 - Behavioral Data from Real App Usage21:37 - Is Privacy a Myth? The Decentralized Difference25:04 - Vision: Democratizing Data Access for Entrepreneurs28:08 - Closing Remarks---About ELI Podcast:ELI (Entrepreneur's Live Interviews) brings you inspiring stories from India's startup ecosystem. Real founders, real journeys, real insights.Website: https://eli-podcast.com

In this episode, Priya Ranjan Mohanty sits down with Dhruv Chopra, Managing Partner of Dewan P.N. Chopra & Co. and MD of DPNC Advisors — one of India’s top boutique advisory firms founded in 1940.Dhruv shares the remarkable three-generation journey of transforming a pre-Independence law practice into a full-service advisory powerhouse serving 30 of India’s top 200 business groups. He discusses the evolution of the CA profession, the rise of family offices in India, navigating family disputes, and advice for aspiring advisory professionals.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction00:49 - About Dewan P.N. Chopra & Co.01:55 - History of the Firm (Founded 1940)06:16 - Dhruv’s Journey & Building DPNC Advisors08:30 - Evolution of the CA Profession09:36 - Why Businesses Need Advisors Today12:30 - Specialization vs. Generalization in Advisory13:17 - DPNC’s Proprietary Framework for HNIs16:45 - Rise of Family Offices in India20:08 - Professional vs. Personal in Family Investing23:04 - Navigating Family Feuds & Disputes27:56 - Advice for Aspiring Advisory Professionals29:53 - Closing Remarks---About ELI Podcast:ELI (Entrepreneur’s Live Interviews) brings you inspiring stories from India’s startup ecosystem. Real founders, real journeys, real insights.Website: https://eli-podcast.com

Welcome back to the ELI Podcast! In this episode, Priya sits down with Dr. Prithwi Singh, Co-Founder and CEO of Khetika, a rapidly growing clean-label food brand in India focusing on fresh batters, spices, dry fruits, and staples.Dr. Singh shares his journey from consulting at BCG to building a food brand centered entirely around honesty, single-origin sourcing, and transparency. We dive into the four major types of food adulteration rampant in India today, why chemical preservatives aren't always necessary for shelf life, and how Khetika’s "SAATHI" program connects directly with farmers to ensure a completely clean, farm-to-plate supply chain.If you are curious about what really goes into your packaged food, or if you are an aspiring entrepreneur looking to understand supply chains and the FMCG space, this episode is a must-watch!🎧 Check out more episodes at: https://eli-podcast.com⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction to Dr. Prithwi Singh & Khetika0:28 - What is a "Clean Label" Food Brand?1:41 - The Truth About Preservatives & Shelf Life3:24 - Dr. Singh’s Background: From BCG to Entrepreneurship4:16 - The Four Major Types of Food Adulteration in India7:58 - The Early Days of Khetika & Tackling the Staples Market9:25 - "Making Honest Food the New Normal" & A Personal Wake-Up Call11:41 - The Khetika SAATHI Program: Building a Transparent Farm-to-Plate Supply Chain13:26 - How to Maintain Consistent Quality with Single-Origin Sourcing17:12 - Pricing Strategy: How Khetika Competes with Mass Market Brands18:36 - Utilizing $18M in Series B Funding: Clean Manufacturing Expansion19:54 - Navigating Competition Against FMCG Giants21:26 - Brand Loyalty & The Indian Consumer’s Shift Towards Health23:03 - The Realities of Entrepreneurship: Purpose Over Profit🔗 About the Guest:Dr. Prithwi Singh is the Co-Founder and CEO of Khetika, a brand committed to making honest, clean, and unadulterated food the new normal in India. Learn more about their mission at khetika.com.Tags:#ELIPodcast #Khetika #DrPrithwiSingh #CleanEating #FoodTech #FMCG #Entrepreneurship #SupplyChain #StartupIndia #HealthAndWellness

Welcome back to the ELI Podcast! In this episode, Priya sits down with Akshay Shekhar, the Co-Founder and CEO of Kazam, India's leading agnostic E-mobility and charging platform.Akshay shares his entrepreneurial journey from his corporate days at PepsiCo and Godrej to building his second startup. We dive deep into how Kazam is solving the massive challenge of EV charging infrastructure in India, specifically for the booming two-wheeler, three-wheeler, and commercial fleet markets. We also discuss the future of peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading, the realities of building V1 products, and the core traits every successful entrepreneur needs: curiosity, perseverance, and humility.Whether you're an aspiring founder or interested in the rapidly growing climate tech and EV space, this episode is packed with actionable insights!🎧 Check out more episodes at: https://eli-podcast.com⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction to Akshay Shekhar & Kazam0:39 - Akshay’s Background: From Corporate Life to Second-Time Founder4:19 - Starting Kazam: The YouTube Channel & Early EV Hypothesis7:35 - Solving Charging for Q-Commerce Fleets (e.g., BigBasket)10:21 - The Reality of Building V1 Products & OEM Integrations13:07 - How Kazam's Software Reduces Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)17:15 - The Future of EV Payments & Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Energy Trading20:47 - The Realities of Entrepreneurship: "You Are a Salesman for Life"24:32 - Managing Culture and Scaling from 5 to 350+ Employees26:20 - Top 3 Traits of Successful Founders: Curiosity, Perseverance, and Humility28:53 - Why Now is the Best Time to be an Entrepreneur in India🔗 About the Guest:Akshay Shekhar is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kazam, an IoT-based EV charging platform building the future of electric mobility and energy management across India. Learn more about their work at kazam.energy.Tags:#ELIPodcast #Kazam #AkshayShekhar #EVCharging #ElectricVehicles #Entrepreneurship #StartupIndia #ClimateTech #EnergyTrading #SaaS

Welcome back to the ELI Podcast! In this episode, Priya sits down with Vivek Tiwari, the Founder of Medikabazaar, India's pioneering B2B online marketplace for medical supplies and equipment.Vivek shares his entrepreneurial journey—from his corporate experience at Tata and setting up dialysis clinics, to building a platform that solves complex procurement and supply chain challenges for hospitals. We discuss the early days of B2B e-commerce, overcoming the marketplace "chicken and egg" problem, and the massive scale Medikabazaar operates at today. Vivek also dives deep into VIZI, their patented AI/ML hospital inventory management software, and explains how it is uniquely tailored to tackle Indian healthcare challenges and disease patterns.🎧 Check out more episodes and resources at: https://eli-podcast.com⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction to Vivek Tiwari & Medikabazaar0:58 - Vivek’s Background: From Corporate Life to Healthcare Entrepreneurship3:32 - How Medikabazaar Works: Solving Hospital OPEX & Procurement Pain Points6:56 - Navigating the Early Days of B2B E-commerce in 201510:01 - Managing Massive Scale, Growth, and Customer KRA/KPIs12:24 - Catering to Government Hospitals and Tenders14:41 - Understanding Regulatory Nuances in the Medical Supply Chain16:08 - Deep Dive into VIZI: Patented AI/ML for Hospital Inventory Management19:26 - Adapting Global AI Tech for Indian Healthcare Nuances (e.g., Seasonal Diseases)22:57 - Vivek’s Vision for the Future and Next Steps🔗 About the Guest:Vivek Tiwari is the Founder of Medikabazaar, an industry leader revolutionizing the way medical institutions and practitioners procure supplies, manage inventory, and optimize healthcare costs across India.Tags:#ELIPodcast #Medikabazaar #VivekTiwari #HealthTech #B2BMarketplace #Entrepreneurship #MedicalSupplies #AIinHealthcare #SupplyChain #StartupIndia

Welcome back to the ELI Podcast! In this episode, Priya sits down with Vineeth Mohan, Founder and Chief of Innovation at DBiz.ai, an engineering firm focused on AI and digital transformation.We dive deep into how AI is completely transforming the Business Intelligence (BI) landscape. Vineeth explains the concept of allowing end-users to simply "talk to their data" without relying on heavy data engineering teams to build endless dashboards. We also discuss the challenges of integrating massive enterprise data silos, why building a robust "semantic layer" is the real magic behind accurate AI outputs, and how enterprises are adopting AI tokenomics.Whether you are a founder building an AI SaaS or an enterprise leader looking to modernize your analytics, this episode is packed with valuable insights!🎧 Check out more episodes at: https://eli-podcast.com⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction to Vineeth Mohan & DBiz.ai0:39 - Vineeth’s Career Journey: From Yahoo to Entrepreneurship2:35 - Disrupting BI: Building Products That Let You Talk to Data4:45 - The Historical Pain Points of Analytics & Engineering Bottlenecks7:03 - Bringing the "Vibe Coding" Revolution to Data Analytics8:18 - Integrating Data Silos & The Importance of Semantic Data Models12:33 - How AI Learns Your Company’s Unique Business Vocabulary18:32 - Which AI Models Work Best? (Claude Opus, Open Source, and Context)21:26 - The Business Side of AI: Selling to Enterprises & Tokenomics27:18 - Top AI Use Cases: Investigative Analysis in Finance & Supply Chain31:21 - Vineeth’s Advice for Founders: Automate Your Life & Solve Domain Problems🔗 About the Guest:Vineeth Mohan is the Founder and Chief of Innovation at DBiz.ai, a firm specializing in unlocking the value of enterprise data through AI and modern engineering. Learn more about their work at dbiz.ai.Tags:#ELIPodcast #ArtificialIntelligence #BusinessIntelligence #DataAnalytics #DBiz #VineethMohan #Entrepreneurship #SaaS #DataScience #TechPodcast

In this episode, we sit down with Sameer Kanodia, Managing Director and CEO of Lumina Datamatics, to discuss the evolution of content services, the impact of AI on the industry, and his journey as a second-generation entrepreneur.Lumina Datamatics is a leading global provider of content, data, and technology solutions, serving top-tier publishers and international retailers. Sameer breaks down how the company manages massive scale, ensures data security, and leverages automation to stay ahead of the curve. He also shares candid advice for aspiring entrepreneurs on taking calculated risks and why human validation remains crucial in the age of Artificial Intelligence.Topics Discussed: 🚀 The genesis and growth of Lumina Datamatics 🤖 How AI is disrupting (and enabling) content workflows 📉 Managing data consistency for global e-commerce giants 💼 Entrepreneurship advice: Corporate experience vs. Starting up 🔮 The future of jobs and technology in 2025 and beyond-----------------------------------Chapters00:00 Introduction 00:27 Who is Sameer Kanodia? 01:21 What is Lumina Datamatics? (Scale & Reach) 02:04 The Genesis: Spinoff and Mergers 03:19 Solutions for Publishers & E-Commerce 04:36 How AI is Disrupting Content Services 06:38 Challenges in Managing Large-Scale Data 09:53 Automation & Data-Driven Workflows 11:17 Future Plans: Innovation & Acquisitions 12:00 Ensuring Data Security & Compliance 13:08 Advice for Emerging Tech Entrepreneurs 14:40 Will AI Eliminate Jobs? (The Uber Analogy) 17:20 Calculated Risks & The Value of Experience 18:50 The Changing Landscape of Entrepreneurship 20:11 Closing Thoughts: AI as an Enabler#LuminaDatamatics #SameerKanodia #Entrepreneurship #AI #ContentMarketing #Ecommerce #BusinessPodcast #ArtificialIntelligence #Leadership

In this episode of ELI, we sit down with Abhinav Singh, the Founder of Techugo, a leading mobile app development company known for building highly scalable applications for startups and Fortune 500 clients like Airtel, Godfrey Phillips, and Byju’s.Abhinav shares his rollercoaster entrepreneurial journey—from early success and a failed acquisition that led to bankruptcy, to rebuilding his life and company from scratch. We dive deep into the technical side of the business, discussing what makes an app truly scalable, the importance of documentation, and why enterprises still struggle with legacy tech.We also explore the future of the industry: Will AI agents replace traditional app UIs? Are Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) a threat to native development? And is the role of the app developer at risk due to AI coding tools?Topics Discussed:Building scalable apps with 200k+ downloads.Why enterprises outsource mobile development.Abhinav’s personal story of bankruptcy and redemption.The shift from traditional UI to AI-driven conversational interfaces.Native Apps vs. Progressive Web Apps (PWA).The impact of AI on the future of software development jobs.Chapters(00:00) Introduction: Meet Abhinav Singh of Techugo (00:49) What makes a mobile app scalable? (01:46) Custom Solutions vs. Readymade Templates (03:02) Startups vs. Enterprise Clients (Fortune 500s) (04:45) Why big enterprises struggle to build mobile apps in-house (06:51) Go-To-Market Strategy and App Marketing (07:59) Abhinav’s Journey: From $2B Exit Deal to Bankruptcy (10:33) Rebuilding from rock bottom to 1400+ Apps delivered (11:30) Technical Scalability: Why documentation is critical (14:34) Success Stories: TrueFan, Byju's, Gyan Fresh & Pickleball (16:50) The future of UI: AI Agents and Conversational Interfaces (20:56) Native Apps vs. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) (23:24) Will AI replace App Developers? (26:09) Conclusion

In this episode of ELI Podcast, we host Nikita Baliarsingh, the co-founder of Nexus Power, a startup revolutionizing the energy industry by building rechargeable, bio-organic, and biodegradable batteries from crop residue.Nikita shares the incredible journey of how she and her twin sister, Nishita, pivoted from wanting to build electric cars to solving the biggest bottleneck in the EV industry: the battery. We dive deep into how they utilized crop waste (stubble) to create a sustainable alternative to Lithium-ion batteries, effectively tackling both the E-waste crisis and air pollution caused by stubble burning.In this conversation, we discuss:The transition from management graduates to biotech entrepreneurs.The technical specs: Energy density vs. Lithium-ion.The focus on Stationary Energy Storage (BESS) and 2-Wheeler EVs.Government grants, patents, and the roadmap to commercialization.If you are interested in CleanTech, Sustainability, and the future of Electric Vehicles in India, this episode is for you!00:00 - Introduction: Nikita Baliarsingh & Nexus Power 01:01 - Background: From Business Family to Bio-Tech \02:10 - The Origin Story: Why Pivot from Cars to Batteries? 03:24 - The Problem with Lithium & The Bio-Material Solution 04:40 - Tackling Stubble Burning: Batteries from Crop Waste 05:20 - The First Experiment: Building a Battery at Home during COVID 06:55 - Scaling Up: From 2 Sisters to a Team of 40 08:14 - Applications: 2-Wheelers vs. Stationary Energy Storage 11:14 - Tech Deep Dive: Energy Density vs. Lithium-ion 14:04 - Market Strategy: Filling the Supply-Demand Gap 15:35 - Government Support, Grants & Validation 18:35 - Intellectual Property: Patents on Material & Process 20:11 - Funding Journey: Bootstrapping to VCs 21:47 - Future Vision: Commercialization & Going Global 22:58 - Can India Beat China in Battery Technology?

Yuma Energy is a joint venture between Yulu, India’s largest shared electric mobility provider, and Magna, one of the world’s leading automotive technology suppliers. Formed with the vision to accelerate EV adoption in India, Yuma Energy is building the country’s most extensive and reliable Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) network. With over 35 million battery swaps completed and more than 2,000 stations across 17 cities, Yuma Energy is redefining urban mobility by making it cleaner, smarter and more accessible.